Book Review - Is College Worth It

About the Book
Explores the answer to a critical question: Should we keep sending our kids to college?

The American system of higher education comprises some of the best universities, teachers, and students the world has ever seen. Millions of students around the globe want nothing more in their life than to attend an American university. However, many of America’s colleges and universities today have serious academic, institutional, and other performance problems, and it is quickly approaching a crisis point, if it’s not there already. Despite some excellent colleges and quality programs at many colleges, too much of higher education is wildly expensive. Students often graduate having learned little, or don’t graduate at all. They are indoctrinated with liberal politics and subjected to all types of non-academic distractions. For these reasons, many students would be better served exploring other educational alternatives.

In Is College Worth It?, William J. Bennett and David Wilezol assess the problems of American higher education at various levels, from runaway costs to inferior academics to poor graduation rates to political indoctrination, and propose serious reforms and alternative methods for improving higher education so that it better serves our students.

About the Authors
Dr. William J. Bennett is one of America’s most influential and respected voices on cultural, political, and educational issues. Host of the top-ten nationally syndicated radio show Bill Bennett’s Morning in America, he is also the Washington Fellow of the Claremont Institute. He is the author and editor of more than twenty-five books.

David Wilezol is the associate producer for Bill Bennett's Morning in America. He is also a 2012 Publius Fellow of the Claremont Institute and currently a graduate student in Greek and Latin at Catholic University in Washington DC.

My Take on the Book
As someone who works in higher education I am a proponent for continuing one's education whether it be in a four year undergraduate setting or in some other alternative setting. I went into this book wondering if it would be a diatribe of reasons for not going to college. Especially with the name of the book, and with the media hype recently about a supposed lack of jobs out there. I was pleased to find that the book however was a well laid out argument to truly explore all of the options that may be available to you based on what you might want to study as well as the costs attributed to that dream as well. The book provides some practical advice for anyone thinking of continuing their education, and while some of the data that they present in my view could be looked at in various ways, the information provided within is still invaluable, and the idea of being a savvy consumer is even more relevant in today's higher education race. This is definitely a book I would recommend to anyone looking at continuing their education after high school as it will make you think about your options in a very different way!

All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not influenced in any way by the company.  Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider. Please refer to this site's Disclaimer  for more information. I have been compensated or given a product free of charge, but that does not impact my views or opinions.

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Book Review - If I Knew Then, What I Know Now! College and Financial Aid Planning From A Parent's Perspective

About the Book
College and the financial aid planning process should start as early in a child’s life as possible. It can be a frustrating and complicated puzzle, and parents often have no idea where to begin or how to help their children get through it.

If I Knew Then What I Know Now! College & Financial Aid Planning From A Parent’s Perspective (Pendium Publishing) by Cynthia Hammond Davis, is the true story of her struggle to find help putting all of the pieces of the college search, financial aid, scholarships, athletics and extracurricular activities together.

After experiencing first-hand how complex this journey can be, Davis decided to combine her findings and include them in a book to help other parents and students with early college awareness. This book acts as a priceless guide to help parents understand their role as well as offering basic tips on how they can assist their children through the process as efficiently as possible.

Want to know where a lot of scholarship money can be found? Want to find out how your child may be able to attend an out-of-state college while paying in-state tuition costs? Want advice that will save time during the college admission process? Answers to these questions and more can be found in this book – outlined in a short, simple, and to the point approach.

Davis believes that there is nothing to prepare parents on how and where to begin and they struggle through trying to help their children, just as she did, and it was through trial and error she learned how to get to the right information. In her instructive book, she is very candid about mistakes she made along the way in hopes of helping other parents avoid making those same mistakes.


Cynthia Hammond Davis is a College and Career Advisor, Founder/Executive Director of The Light of the City, Inc., a nonprofit organization, and President of CollegeAndCareerAdvice.Com. She is the radio talk show host of her own Saturday morning talk show, “The College and Career Information Hour,” and an in-demand public and motivational speaker.


As a college and financial aid advisor since 2001, she has helped many parents and students get through the process, resulting in their receiving scholarship offers that total over $1 million collectively each year. What Cynthia Hammond Davis does, she does with the passion of someone who truly cares about her work and about helping students to become tomorrow’s professionals.

College is one of the most expensive things parents can plan for their children and now they don’t have to waste countless hours doing their own research – Davis has done it for them. All they need to do is read the book!


My Take on the Book
As a college admissions professional, I have read many books and written one myself, so I am always looking for other books that will make the college selection and planning process easier for parents and children alike. This was a great book that brought together the great experience of the author with practical tips that can help many parents to de-mystify the college preparation process. There are some wonderful hidden gems within the book, and what is best is that the book itself is short and to the point so you are not having to sift through 300-400 pages trying to find exactly what you need, but instead the book is laid out in an easy to follow and understand way that makes perfect sense! All-in-all this was a great book for anyone looking to start the college planning process.


All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not influenced in any way by the company.  Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider. Please refer to this site's Disclaimer  for more information. I have been compensated or given a product free of charge, but that does not impact my views or opinions

Fiske Interactive - A College Guide for the iPad

For more than 25 years, millions of parents, counselors, and college-bound students have turned to The Fiske Guide to Colleges for an independent perspective on the distinctive personalities of the best and most interesting colleges and universities in the U.S., Canada, and Great Britain.

Now, the Fiske Interactive College Guide brings you every aspect of the book—plus much more—in an app!

Check out the video! (It’s only 78 seconds long) http://www.sourcebooks.com/next/apps/fiske-interactive-college-guide.html

Fiske Interactive allows you to go beyond the book and streamline your college search with the following resources and tools:

• Plan your college tour with built-in Google map function
• Find school deadlines and application dates
• Email admissions departments directly from the app
• Browse each college website
• Check out comparable campuses (“overlap schools”)

Fiske Interactive also allows parents and students to quickly and easily organize their top choices using lists and notes:

• Flag schools for a second look
• Categorize the schools you are interested in by using the “Safety Schools,” “Probable Schools,” and  “Reach Schools” list feature
• Add notes to each school

Fiske Interactive includes the hallmark Fiske Profiles that provide a candid, authoritative look at the academic climates and extracurricular scenes of 310+ colleges and universities. The app allows you to browse through the guide with a swipe of your finger, view photos of each campus, or search by your chosen criteria, including state, campus location, enrollment size, academic program, Fiske rating, or just a keyword.

It’s the next best thing to being on campus.

You’ll quickly find the Fiske Interactive College Guide to be your most trusted, on-the-go companion, bringing much-needed calm and sanity to one of the most important decisions you’ll ever make.

Fiske Interactive ($19.99) is available exclusively for the iPad.

All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not influenced in any way by the company.  Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider. Please refer to this site's Disclaimer  for more information. I have been compensated or given a product free of charge, but that does not impact my views or opinions.

Choosing a College That Is Right for You

This is the third in a series of posts that I plan to roll out over the next week...Enjoy!


When choosing a college there are many factors to consider. Not only is it important to consider financial aspects, it is equally important to explore the full array of opportunities and options that surround a college before settling on the final choice(s). I recommend a few things to consider:

Does the college have programs in my areas of interest?

Does the college have a progressive financial aid program to help students with the cost of their education?

Is the college in an area where I feel comfortable (urban, suburban, etc.)?

Is the college the right size for me?

Most important is the feeling one gets as they visit the campus. Take the time to visit the campus; to ask questions, visit the residence halls, and meet a professor. The important thing is that you visit. Too many students choose a college, only to find in their first year that the campus is not right for them. Visiting becomes even more important when considering out-of-state colleges.

Once these factors are considered, choices have to be made; where to apply and when. Fall of the senior year is a good time. Where to apply is a personal choice, whether in- or out-of-state, there are many good colleges and universities to select from – more than 3,500 in the United States alone. The formula that usually works well is to choose more than one. Three works well because you can select one college where you k now you will be accepted, one where you think you will be accepted, and one that you question whether you will be accepted.

Your high school guidance counselors are there to help you through these decisions. Usually, guidance offices have a variety of information and resources from many colleges and universities that you can choose from, some of which can be checked out by students. Also, with Internet access and the continual advancement of technology today, you can visit any college at the stroke of a key.

If you have any questions about this or other topics, feel free to contact me at dadofdivas@gmail.com and I will do my best to answer the questions you have.